‘Allegations serious’: Court denies interim protection from arrest for gang-rape accused ex-BJP MLA

The court summoned the alleged survivor and investigating officer for Thursday before deciding Pawar’s anticipatory bail plea.

A sessions court in Bhiwandi on Wednesday refused to grant interim protection from arrest to former BJP MLA Narendra Pawar, accused of gang-raping a 22-year-old married woman along with dismissed police constable Shailesh Patil at Patil’s secluded farmhouse along National Highway 3 between Bhiwandi and Kalyan on September 13.

Former BJP MLA Narendra Pawar.

The court said the allegations against the accused were serious and that it was necessary to hear both the investigating team and the victim before deciding Pawar’s anticipatory bail plea.

Court called victim and investigating officer for hearing

The plea was placed before additional sessions judge ND Karande at the Bhiwandi court on Wednesday. The court summoned the victim and the investigating officer for a hearing on Thursday. In view of the seriousness of the allegations and the need to hear the investigating team and the victim, the court held that it would not be appropriate to grant interim protection to Pawar and rejected the plea.

A case of gang rape was registered against Pawar at Padgha Police Station last week under Sections 64(1) (punishment for the offence of rape), 70(1) (penalises gang rape), 351(2) (criminal intimidation) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and Sections 3 and 25 (acquire a firearm or ammunition without a valid licence) of the Arms Act.

According to the complaint filed by the woman, she had sought Pawar’s intervention in a long-standing dispute with her husband and came into contact with him through social media.

Woman alleges assault at farmhouse

She alleged that Pawar later sent his associate, Shailesh Patil, a dismissed police constable, to pick her up in his car and take her to Patil’s farmhouse in Bapgaon. She alleged that she was raped by both men at the farmhouse. The following day, the farmhouse caretaker allegedly dropped her at her residence in Kalyan.

Following registration of the FIR, Thane Rural Police formed three teams to search for Pawar and Patil as well as the caretaker, who has also been missing since the incident. Police are examining CCTV footage and other digital evidence to trace them, but have so far been unable to locate them.

Meanwhile, police discovered that the accused and their associates removed the CCTV footage and DVR from the farmhouse after the woman filed the complaint two days after the alleged incident.